Trusting Futures
by Runs like a girl
Summary: Richard/OC. When Locke goes off the island in pursuit of the Oceanic 6, he meets the ever charming wife of Richard Alpert, who helps him on his journey. Travel back and forth in time as Shiloh Alpert reveals her life experiences with her husband. R&R! :
1. 2004

**Hey Readers!**

This is my second Lost fanfic. ever! And i'm really excited about this, because its new and creative and AWESOME. lmao, or, well, i think so.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. It will be a Richard/OC pairing. Probably T-Rated unless at some point i want to go M-Rated.

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**Trusting Futures**

**Chapter One. Trust Issues.**

John Locke paused, looking up at the nice, grand restaurant he was about to enter in San Francisco, California. He sighed, grasping the handle, and if contemplating whether or not to enter.

He had just gotten back from visiting Kate in Los Angeles, and was staying in a small hotel nearby when he had noticed a small note laying on his bed. He opened it quickly, and read that it was a letter requesting a meeting with him at the Castagnola's top restaurant near the San Francisco Bay. It had also mentioned that it was critically important to not, whatever he does, tell Abaddon about this meeting. He was a bit confused at that, wondering what this person could have against Abaddon. He frowned, remembering Hurley and his fear of the man as well. Surely it could not be him at the restaurant; he was still in that mental hospital in Santa Rosa.

He shook his head, walking into the fancy restaurant and looking around. He walked up to the hostess and smiled as she looked up at him.

"Good evening sir. How many I help you?" she asked. She was pretty, probably around early thirties, with long golden hair and large blue eyes. She had a small birthmark on her left cheek, and was rather short in height. Locke smiled.

"I have been invited to dinner for two at 6:30pm." he asked, not really sure what to say. The note had given him no name to tell the hostess, nor where exactly they would be meeting. But the woman looked at the files and nodded her head in understanding, looking up at him.

"Yes, I believe I know what you are talking about, sir." she smiled, "Follow me to the Banquet Room." He followed her to the upper level of the restaurant, where very few people were dining. She led him to a small, circular table with a fancy white cloth. She smiled, sitting him down.

"I believe your date will arrive shortly. Last I saw her she got up to go to the bathroom, but I'm sure she'll arrive momentarily." she smiled, "Is there anything I can get you sir while you wait for the waitress to arrive? Champagne perhaps? Wine? Beer?"

Locke smiled at the friendly woman, shaking his head, "Some water would be just fine." he answered. She smiled again, nodding and walking away.

Locke frowned at the empty seat in front of him. The woman had said that there was a woman who was going to sit at the table. He sat there, confused, wondering who it could be. He doubted it was Kate; she didn't seem very happy to see him at all at their last visit. Perhaps it could be Sun, he thought; she surely seemed that she had enough money to afford this type of restaurant. But then he doubted she would come all the way to California from Korea just to arrange a small get together with him. Unless Abbadon or Widmore had convinced her to go back to the island. Though he highly doubted she would want to go back either. It could be Juliet, he thought, or maybe even Penny Widmore.

Before he could think of anything else, he heard the loud clicking of heels against the hard wood surface coming towards him. He looked down, looking to see if he was all straightened up and tugged a little on his tie. Finally he heard someone sit on the chair facing him, and his green eyes looked up to find someone he had never seen before.

She was looking at him, her eyes watching him intensely as if she were trying to figure him all out by just one glance. Her dark brown eyes watched him intensely through long, thick black eyelashes that contrasted beautifully against pale skin. She had shoulder length wavy black hair. She was wearing a nice outfit for a fancy place like this; a bright yellow sundress with white flowers on it. Pearls hung closely around her neck, and a large, sparkling diamond ring was twinkling in the sun on her manicured fingers. She seemed unreal…to perfect that it rather made Locke uncomfortable. He also noticed that she appeared, well, rather young, actually. Locke figured maybe nineteen, twenty at the most, and there she was, drinking the small glass white wine in front of her as if it was nothing at all.

She looked up at him, smiling a large, white smile, "Hello John Locke." she smiled, "I am glad to see that you had gotten my letter." she extended her hand for a friendly handshake.

Locke extended his hand as well, shaking her hand shortly before pulling back and looking at her, then around, in a slightly confused manner, "I'm not sure what this is all about." he said.

She grinned, "Well, I wanted to take you someplace nice." she said, "After all, you are extremely special John." she laughed lightly, "Or should I say Jeremy Bentham?"

John narrowed his eyebrows, "So I'm guessing that you know about the island, then."

She smiled, "Yes, that would be what this is about." she smiled, then her eyes widened a fraction and she laughed again, the noise ringing musically in Locke's ears, "I am so sorry, you must forgive my clumsiness. I swear, I can so mindless sometimes." she shook her head, smiling, "My name is Shiloh Alpert."

Locke looked at the woman, narrowing his eyebrows. Alpert. As in Richard Alpert? Is she a sister, cousin…what the. He raised his eyebrows, showing her he was confused. She just smiled kindly, grabbing her glass of wine and taking a small sip.

"Yes, John. I am Richard's wife." she had told him. She looked around, "I hope you like seafood, it's my favorite." she explained. He nodded, "That's fine."

"Good." she smiled, then looked down at the menu placed in front of her, "Well, I'm thinking of getting the clam chowder, I always get that. I'm such a New England girl it is crazy," she laughed again, "You can get whatever you want, though. Don't be shy about choosing pricy stuff. Richard always gets that fancy, high priced crap when he comes off the island like the lobster neeruli, fried calamari, snow crabs, you know. So don't be—"

"Stop, listen." Locke interrupted, and the woman looked up at him in wonder. Seriously, John couldn't understand how a woman could talk so much…and all in one breath too. It seemed odd that such a quiet and mysterious man such as Richard would possibly be married to such a bubbly and outgoing woman such as Shiloh. "I just," he looked around for something to explain how he was feeling, "Why did you send me a note to invite me to this dinner? And why didn't you want Abbadon to know?"

Shiloh looked at him, obviously not used to being cut off, god only knew why, Locke thought, and sighed, "I'm sorry, I know I'm quite a talker. Richard says it can be quite annoying." she sighed again, leaning back in her chair, and looked around to see if anyone was nearby, "I have invited you here to talk to you about how you are going to get the Oceanic 6 back to the island, which I know is why you are here."

"And why didn't you want Abbadon to know about this? You stated that it was absolutely crucial, why?" he asked. Shiloh looked at him again, her eyes searching his deeply. John almost laughed; Richard did the same thing, studying people like that. Maybe that's why they are together, he thought to himself, chuckling.

She looked down at her hands, "Tell me John, who do you trust most of all?" she asked.

John frowned, his eyebrows creasing together, "What do you mean? What are you—"

Shiloh shook her head, her black waves shaking with her, "I said, who do you trust? Why do you trust Widmore?"

John leaned back in his chair, his tone getting an angry edge to it "Who else should I trust? Ben? I mean, everyone is on different sides, telling me that I am special and that I should trust them because the other side is the "wrong side" that is just using me. Widmore told me that Ben was set against me, trying to kill me or something, while Ben told me that Widmore was going to destroy the island. And all this time, I have to figure out who to trust and who not to."

Shiloh looked at him, nodding understandingly, "That must be very difficult for you."

John nodded, "Yes, it is. And all the while, Widmore is telling me that there is no need for me to die to get me and everyone back to the island, while your husband Richard and his buddy there Ben is telling me otherwise!"

Shiloh nodded. Suddenly she moved forward, grasping Locke's hands and taking them in hers. She looked him straight in the eyes, her brown meeting his green, "Listen, John. You must listen to me. Don't, I repeat, don't trust either Charles Widmore or Ben Linus, John. Both of them are using you against each other in this crazy war they have to regain control of the island. What did Richard tell you the first time that you met him? Do you remember John?" Locke was silent for a second, "Do you remember?!"

John nodded, startled, "He told me that Ben…he was trying to embarrass me in front of the Others, because he knew that I wouldn't kill my father. And that…I was extremely special, and that Ben didn't want anyone to think I was special, and—"

"That's it, John." she interrupted him, grasping his hands tightly, "Ben doesn't want anyone to think you are special, John, because he still wants to be the leader. He doesn't like that you are extremely gifted and going to be the leader. But John, you cannot trust Widmore either. He wants control of the island just as much as Ben does and will do just about anything to get it back, even if that means sucking up to you." she told him, "They are both going to try and use you, John. John, you need to trust me, please!

"You know that old saying? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer? Do you, John? Well, that's exactly what you got to do," Shiloh told him, "You cannot let Ben or Charles know that you don't trust them. Pretend that you trust their every thought and idea; let them think they're the boss. But never, ever, believe that what they are doing, if it is somewhat dangerous to you whatsoever, is for your own good." she said, "They are liars, John."

Locke let all this information sink in. It made sense, actually, what she was telling him. Both sides seemed to want him to trust them, no matter what. Strange thing is, he trusted this woman in front of him, even if it was the first time ever meeting her.

Locke smiled, "How do I know I can trust you?" he asked. Shiloh smiled friendly, releasing her grip and sliding back comfortably in her chair.

"John, you know you can trust me. Or Richard. We want whatever is good for the island. You know that Richard has no underlying desire to become leader of the island. He has been before, and know he is quite content with being second in command," she laughed, "He wants what is best for you, John. No matter what, John, remember, you can always trust the two of us."

And for some weird reason, Locke did trust her and Richard. They seemed about the only ones, other than himself, to be solely interested in what is best for the island. He knew that Richard was a trustee of Jacob, and anyone who Jacob trusted was someone that Locke could trust too. But, then, where'd that leave Ben?

Locke nodded, and the waitress came over and took their orders. Clam chowder and marinated swordfish was ordered, as well as a bottle of champagne, and the dinner continued smoothly through the night.

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And that was the end of the first chapter! Now, i was originally planning on making this a one-shot, but im not sure anymore. i think i want to expand it into a story.

Anyways, remember to review!

Thanks!

-Runs Like a Girl


	2. 1952

**Hey Readers!**

**Here is the second chapter of Trusting Futures. **

**I hope you enjoy it! Also, please, please, please rememeber to review. I checked the story traffic and apparently I got a lot of hits of this story in just one chapter, yet I only got one review! Now, thats kinda unfair people! lol. so please review, or else i cant write anymore because i have no inspiration!**

**Have fun!**

**

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**Chapter Two.**

_San Francisco, California. Present time._

Shiloh smoothed her hair, walking over to the computer and clicked on the internet explorer icon. She typed in "yahoo" and pressed enter, then clicked the sign in button. She entered her username and password, and signed in. She checked her inbox, and a giant smile formed on her face, as her eyes sparkled in glee.

Richard had sent her an email!

She knew it was silly to be so excited by one little email; they emailed each other back and forth every day for the past year. Ben had requested that Shiloh stay on the mainland for a little while for recruitment, and she missed Richard every second of every day. She missed his mysterious gaze upon her, his smirks and lop-sided smiles, his close grasp around her.

Shiloh almost forgot to breath just thinking about him. She shook her head, flustered, and opened his read it, and as her eyes scanned the page a deep, red blush started to burn on her face. Not that it said anything of any, intense, risqué nature, but she always blushed when reading Richard's letters. They also contained the word 'love' and 'miss you', and since he was such a mysterious man who hardly ever revealed his true feelings to anyone, she felt somewhat flustered and at the same time proud that he trusted her with his smiled, remembering the first time she met Richard.

_---_

_London, England. 1952._

"Damn it, Shi, turn that music down, will you? Some of us enjoy sleeping!"

"Sorry Ellie!" cried Shiloh, running towards the radio and turning of Kay Starr's incredible new hit "Wheel of Fortune". Her wavy black hair was pulled back in a long ponytail and as she bounced towards the stairs she wiped her bangs out of her eyes. She tiptoed quietly downstairs, trying not to wake her older sister up.

She looked at herself in the mirror; she was wearing a tight white sweater and a short pink poodle skirt. She was wearing long white tights and pink heels; most people would find her outfit choice rather ridiculous but she felt rather trendy and American. Growing up in London, every other girl was dressed in dull black skirts and beatnik fashions.

Shiloh was very excited. Her sister and her were going on a trip to this island or something for Ellie's research. Her sister, Ellie, was recruited because she was one of the most renowned female geological scientists in all of England. Actually, in all of the world, she thought, and Shiloh smiled.

Shiloh walked into the kitchen, grabbing some cereal and turning the television on. She smiled, her favorite show was on, _I Love Lucy._ She laughed, watching the shenanigans that the woman was getting herself into. She thought about waking Ellie up…but then again, when Ellie says leave her alone, its usually a sign to do that exactly. Her sister was never to be trifled with.

Within an hour her sister came down stairs, all dressed and showered and ready to go. They were taking a submarine to the island, and the taxi that was going to pick them up was coming in about fifteen minutes. She sighed, noticing that it was raining, and grabbed a long, black raincoat before going outside as the yellow taxi drove into their driveway.

Walking outside on the damp grass, Ellie and Shiloh walked into the taxi and got in. Shiloh sighed, laying back and watched as her sister started to look out the window nervously every now and again. She smiled slightly, looking at her older sister through slanted eyes.

"You're nervous." she stated, so it wasn't a question. Ellie looked over at her, her blue eyes wide, and she shook her head too quickly, her long blonde hair waving with it.

"No, no, of course not." Ellie said. Shiloh smiled, she knew she was lying. Strike one.

"Why not? This is a big job opportunity, you surely must be anxious." she said. She knew her sister would deny it; her sister always denied anything relating to her having any anxiety or frustration at all.

Her sister said nothing. They remained quiet the rest of the trip, with Ellie's nervous tapping and Shiloh's muffled giggles at her sister's expense. Finally they reached a small restaurant by the harbor where the submarine was supposed to be. They entered it, giving the cab driver a generous tip, and looked around for whoever was supposed to be picking them up.

"Eloise and Shiloh Hawking?" a voice called, and the two girls looked over to see a tall man with short, curly brown hair and large brown eyes. He smiled, walking over towards them and extending his hand, "Hello, my name is Gregory White and I am here to accompany you ladies on the trip."

Ellie smiled, shaking his hand, "Hi, please, call me Ellie."

Gregory nodded, smiling, "Then I insist on you calling me Greg."

Shiloh raised her eyebrows at the strange greeting but said nothing, giving him a polite nod and handshake. He took their bags and they followed him out to the peer, where there was, in fact, a small submarine waiting for them. Shiloh looked at Ellie excitedly, as she took Greg's hand and descended down into the submarine. As they all got in and put their stuff away, Greg came towards them with two glasses of orange juice, and Shiloh frowned as she saw a small, white pill at the bottom of the glass.

She took her glass cautiously, "What did you put in this?" she asked, gesturing towards the two small pills in her and her sister's glasses. Greg smiled, looking down at them.

"The journey can get a little intense." he explained, his green eyes staring intensely at the girls "I put a good amount of strong sedatives in it so you and your sister can get to sleep."

The two girls looked at each other and shrugged, downing the orange juice in one gulp. Suddenly, Shiloh's vision began to waver, and everything got dark.

----

Her head pounded as she began to stir, and her eyes opened groggily to see a blank, white wall above her. She shook her head, shaking the long, black waves and got up slowly. Shiloh looked around, scanning the room and realized that she was still in the submarine. Yet, she noticed, everything has stopped spinning, meaning the submarine wasn't moving. She walked around until she found Greg who was apparently talking on some sort of walkie-talkie before seeing her and ending his conversation. She smiled, looking around questioningly.

"So…I'm guessing we're here?" she asked. Greg nodded, his brown eyes searching her similar colored ones.

"Yes, we arrived just about an hour or so ago. Your sister was awake and has gone ahead, she told us to let you sleep." he explained.

Shiloh nodded, that sounded like something Ellie would do. That girl was always making sure she was one step ahead of her. It was a love hate relationship, she figured.

"So, where do I go from here?" she asked. Greg smiled, leading her to a long ladder that lead to what she saw was outside. It was sunny, and the sky was a bright blue color. She grinned, so excited for the nice, tropical weather that she had been repressed of from living sixteen years in cold, rainy England.

She looked down at her attire, realizing how stupid it was to be wearing a sweater; she's going to be boiling! "Did they leave my suitcase here?" she asked.

Greg shook his head, "No, Ellie took it with her, but she left out some clothes for you to wear instead if you want to. They're right over there, by the window."

Shiloh grinned, "Thanks!" she said, grabbing the clothes and headed towards the nearest bathroom. She quickly exchanged her sweater and long skirt for a yellow tank top and short denim skirt. She took off her heels, changing them for her rocking yellow flyers and looked at herself in the mirror, quickly approving. She took her hair out of the ponytail, letting it lay loose around her neck.

"I'm all set, lets rock this place." Shiloh announced, emerging from the bathroom. Greg smiled, and let her climb the ladder first. Suddenly the sun hit her by surprise, and she smiled as she got her first glimpse of the island.

It was beautiful; simply breathtaking. This was her first time ever going to an island, or anywhere other then England, to be more exact, and she was completely awestruck. She watched the light blue waves ripple slowly onto the shining white sand back and forth. She looked up at the tallest trees she had ever seen, and pictured herself climbing them branch by branch.

She jumped excitedly, skipping off the submarine and onto the dock. She danced around in the sun, letting it consume her entirely.

"Shiloh!" someone laughed, and she turned around to see her sister walking towards her with several other people, "Stop fooling around and come say hello!"

Shiloh laughed, running towards her, "Sorry, Ellie, but I can't help it! It's not raining!"

Ellie laughed, and a man next to her chuckled. Shiloh's attention swiveled as she looked towards the man, and she gulped quickly.

The man was tall, probably about 6 feet, which was quite a difference next to her 5"4 stature. He was exactly what any girl pictured a handsome movie star would look like: tall, dark, and handsome. He had short black hair, with dark, piercing eyes. She felt she could stare into his eyes forever, before she realized that it would be rather odd to do so in her situation.

She shook her head, slightly flustered and praying that nobody noticed her creeping blush, "Hello, I'm Shilioh Hawkings, Ellie's sister." she said, extending her hand.

The man smiled, taking her hand and politely kissing it, "My name is Richard Alpert, and welcome to our island." he said, "We were just showing your sister around, would you care to join us?"

Shiloh had to practically stop herself from squealing in joy, "Yes, that'd be great." she said. He smiled at her, revealing perfect, white teeth and she blushed even harder. She looked over at Ellie, who was frowning at her disapprovingly.

Richard smiled, looking back at the other people with him, "Oh, by the way, this is Charles Widmore," he told her, gesturing to a rather tall boy around her age with brown hair and large blue eyes, "Thomas Fletcher," he pointed to a tall, blonde haired man who waved slightly, "and you already know Greg White."

She nodded, saying a polite greeting before following him on a tour of the island. By the end of the day, when the sun was beginning to set, her legs were getting sore and tired from all the walking. She said goodbye to Richard and the other guys, walking with Ellie to a small tent that they had provided for them.

She stepped into the tent, Ellie following her, "So, Ellie, how do you like it? Everyone seems nice and friendly." she commented, "And that Greg was really nice too, hm?"

Ellie looked back at her, her blues eyes glaring sharply at her own brown ones, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Shiloh Hawking." she stated fiercely, " Richard said dinner is in an hour, so be polite."

Shiloh rolled her eyes, "El, I'm always polite." she said, "Anyways, so what do you think of Richard Alpert?" she asked, rather casually.

"He's too old for you." Ellie stated shortly, reading her sister's mind without even having to guess.

Shiloh sighed, shaking her head, "You, my dear sister, are rather naïve."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Why can't you just go for somebody your own age for once in your life? What about that Widmore kid? He was kind of cute, and your age too! And, as an added bonus, I think I heard an English accent!" she laughed.

Shiloh shrugged, "Yeah, I guess he was kind of cute. But not my type."

Ellie rose her thin, blonde eyebrows, "You have a type?"

She stuck her tongue out at her older sister, playing hitting her with a small pillow, "Listen, we're not in England anymore, so I figure same rules don't apply here." she replied in a sing-song voice.

"Oh yes they do when they happen to be about my sister and someone of the opposite sex."

"Ah, you're no fun."

Another pillow was thrown.

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**Yay! And thats the end of Chapter Two! Next chapter should be out in several days I hope. Maybe sooner.**

**Anyways, I hope you liked it! Remember to review!**

**Love always,**

**Runs Like a Girl**


	3. 1954

**Chapter 3**

_San Francisco, California. Present Time. 11:30AM_

Shiloh rubbed her eyes, yawning as she walked towards her kitchen for her breakfast. She opened the refrigerator, taking out the eggs and milk and walked over to her counter. She cracked two of the eggs into a medium sized bowl, poured some milk in, added some salt, and whisked away. She then went to the stove and turned it on, dropping some butter on a frying pan that they on the heating stove. After it started to get warm, she put the egg combination on the frying pan, making herself some scrambled eggs.

When her eggs were done, she put them on a dish and poured herself some orange juice. She walked over to the kitchen table, grabbing the morning's newspaper and started to read it. After reading the morning headlines, something about oil prices rising or whatever, and skipped towards the obituaries.

She dropped her glass, the orange juice spilling all over the table. Shiloh barely registered it at all, her dark eyes transfixed on the newspaper.

Jeremy Bentham had died. Suicide.

She shook her head, confused and highly flabbergasted. How, or why, would he commit suicide? He was still trying to get the Oceanic Six back on the island, why on earth would John kill himself? After all she told him! She just didn't understand…

It had said that his body was at Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral Parlor in Los Angeles. Apparently nobody had claimed the body as of yet. She rolled her eyes, of course nobody would, Jeremy Bentham isn't a real person.

She frowned, getting up and running towards her room. She decided she would visit his body today, and be at his most likely very lonely funeral.

She walked into her large walk-in closet, and looked in her clothes for something black and respectful. She picked a black pencil skirt and white blouse, as well as black heels. After looking in the mirror to check if what she was wearing deemed appropriate, she walked outside into the cool San Franciscan air to her car.

After driving for about three hours she took a pit stop, driving into the nearest city and taking a break at a small café she found. She ordered a tuna sub with lettuce, no tomato, and sat at a small booth in the corner. She sighed, taking out the newspaper and reading it again. She just couldn't believe it.

She was considering calling Richard and telling him what has happened, but she doubt he'd get it. The connection of the island is dreadful and not to mention Richard hates his cell phone. It took him long enough to use the computer, let alone a cell phone.

She smirked, remembering the time when she tried to convince him to watch television. She laughed, he could be so old fashioned sometimes. But she loved him, of course.

Shiloh frowned. Now that she thought of it, it was around the first time that she had ever saw John Locke…

________________________________________________________________________

_The Island, 1954. _

She sighed, snuggling in closer to her pillow as she decided she didn't want to wake up. The birds were already chirping, and she could her distant snoring in the background of the other inhabitants.

She then heard her pillow snort.

Shiloh opened her eyes groggily, and slowly started to wipe the sand out of it. Shiloh looked up to see a pair of intense dark eyes staring at her and she smiled, snuggling in closer.

"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked, resting her head on his broad chest.

Richard smiled softly, playing mindlessly with her long dark hair, "If I were to sleep, who would be there to make sure you are safe?"

She rolled her eyes, causing him to laugh, "You don't have to watch out for me all the time, you know." she then got closer, "I'm a big girl, you know." she whispered in his ear.

Richard looked down at her smirking form, before hitting her lightly, "Fresh, don't talk like that, bold doesn't suit you." he said, "Besides, I like watching you sleep."

"Mm?" was all the response he got back. He smiled, tracing her face aimlessly.

"Mmhm." he replied, and she laughed. "Come on, we should get up soon." he told her.

She shook her head, snuggling closer "Five more minutes, please." she asked, pouting.

"No, no, I told myself not to spoil you anymore." he told her, "Come on, get up." and he got up quickly, pulling the covers off her.

"Hey, unfair." Shiloh said. She looked up at him, who was wearing nothing but a white undershirt and grey boxers. She reached towards him, "You're too pretty to be seen by all those people, you're mine." she laughed.

Richard grabbed her hands, pulling her up slowly and into his arms. She smiled, looking up at him. She put her arms around his neck, slowly reaching up on her tiptoes and kissed him. He smiled, kissing her back more passionately. They slowly ended it, and Richard gave her one last kiss on the forehead.

"We need to get dressed." he told her. Shiloh nodded, looking around their tent for her clothes.

Shiloh had moved in with Richard several months ago when she finally turned eighteen. Her sister disapproved, of course, but what was she going to do? Richard was their leader, she can't just tell him to back off her younger sister. And for that, Shiloh was grateful. She didn't want to have him back off.

"Hmm, what shirt should I wear today." she heard Richard mumble. She laughed, walking towards him and encircling her arms around his waist. He looked over to her, and smiled, "What do you think?"

She looked at several of the shirts he picked out, "Hmm. I like the blue one." she told him, pointing to a long sleeved dark blue shirt. "It would look good with those pants." pointing to a pair of dark blue slacks. He smiled, nodding and kissed her quickly on the lips.

"Thank you." he said, then look down at her, "And you," he smiled, his eyes trailing down her body, which at the moment was wearing nothing but a black bra and one of his pairs of boxers, "look perfect just as you are."

She punched him playfully as he laughed quietly, "You know, if I told everyone how you really are nobody would believe me. Mysterious, quiet Richard Alpert, secretly very perverted and comical."

"That'd be heresy." he told her, ruffling her hair, "besides, nobody would believe you."

She stuck her tongue out at him, giggling as he rolled his eyes and walked out of their tent. Shiloh grinned widely, trying to control the butterflies that were now flying around in her stomach. She shook her head, calming herself from her emotions and walking towards her case with her clothes.

Stripping out of Richard's boxers, she put on a pair of dark purple pants and a black sleeveless shirt. She grabbed her boots and put them on, and brushed her long wavy hair quickly. She walked outside, feeling the warm island air hit her instantly and she smiled. She looked around, trying to find her sister Ellie.

She frowned, unable to find her. Shiloh walked over to Richard, who was sitting in one of the tents reading a book, "Hey, have you seen Ellie? I can't find her anywhere."Richard looked up at her, his dark eyes staring at her, making the butterflies rise up in her stomach again, "I believe that she went into the jungle with some of the guys looking for Widmore, Cunningham, and Mattingly."

Shiloh frowned, "They're still missing? God, its been a couple days!"

Richard nodded, "Exactly. We don't know if they got captured by the American military, or what."

"Let's hope not." she said, "The last thing we need is another fight with that lot."

"Mmm." he replied.

All of a sudden they heard footsteps coming closer to them, and Shiloh smiled as she heard the familiar voice of her sister.

"Richard, we're back." Ellie said.

Richard looked at Shiloh who grinned, and they walked out of the tent to meet their people. However, they noticed that there were three people there who did not quite belong.

They looked over to Ellie, questioningly.

"I caught these three by the creek." Ellie explained, gesturing to the two men and one woman who were handcuffed and looking extremely lost and confused. She gestured to the man with the shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, "this one's their leader."

Richard looked at Shiloh who shrugged, before walking to the man who Ellie told them was their leader, "What's your name?"

The man looked defiantly back, "What's your name?" he asked. Shiloh stifled a laugh; not many people backtalk Richard Alpert…or at least not to his face.

Richard looked at him for a second to see if he was serious, before chuckling at his haughtiness yet licking his lips in annoyance, "My name is Richard Alpert." he smiled, then looked at her before looking back at the man, "I assume you've come back for your bomb."

She frowned, watching the Chinese man and the woman look at each other in both shock and confusion, and the leader remain quiet.

As they remained silent, Richard ordered them to be brought into one of the tents before he would talk to him. Shiloh frowned, walking towards him.

"What do you make of them?" she asked him, concern etched deeply in her face. Richard frowned, before smoothing her face gently.

"I'm not sure." he replied truthfully, "But let's see what we can get out of them." She nodded, and she followed him into the tent where they were keeping them.

They found them huddled together in the corner, whispering to each other. Richard frowned.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" he asked. He walked towards the leader, "Ellie tells me that you're not willing to tell us where the rest of your squad is?"

"Why would I do that? So you can kill them too?" the man asked.

"We didn't start this friend," Richard started, causing Shiloh to wince. Richard didn't call anyone "friend" unless he meant serious bodily damage to whomever he is saying it to. "Your people attacked us." he stated, his expression becoming more dark and serious by the passing seconds, "You come to our island, run your tests, you fire at us, and what, you expect us not to defend ourselves?"

The man shook his head, "I don't know anything about that. We are scientists." he explained, causing Richard's frown to increase. He didn't trust him, and he looked at the Chinese man before looking back up.

"So what, so they sent you here to recover it?" Richard asked.

"If you mean our hydrogen bomb, then yes." the man said, "and I'm guessing from this man's radiation burns," he said, looking down at Greg's hands. Shiloh winced. "that the housing has been compromised, is that right?"

Richard looked at Greg's burned, wrapped up hands before glaring back. The man stared right back, unfazed by Richard's cool glare, "If you don't allow me to render it inert, all of us are gonna die. All of us."

Richard shot Shiloh a quick glance, before returning his attention back to the man, "How do I know that you weren't sent here on some suicide mission. I take you out to the bomb…and you just detonate it."

The man remained silent, causing Richard to smirk at him and glare menacingly. The man gulped, before looking to his feet awkwardly, "Because…I'm in love with the woman sitting next to me."

Shiloh slowly looked to the redheaded woman sitting next to him and grinned, before quickly covering it. As adorable as that was, as she was such a hopeless romantic, she was sure Richard wouldn't like her being excited for their hostages. Richard looked back down at the woman too, observing her reaction.

The man shook his head sadly, "And I would never do anything to hurt her." Shiloh saw the man quickly glance at herself, before looking back at Richard. She blushed; was it that obvious?

Richard contemplated for a moment, before looking back at the man, "All right. Take care of your bomb. But you try anything else, and you will hurt her." he told him, his dark eyes narrowing before he walked away.

He grabbed Shiloh's hand, pulling her out of the tent. She looked at him, frowning and stumbling to keep up with his fast pace.

"We aren't really going to hurt her, are we?" she asked, stopping him. Richard looked down at her petite form, grabbing her close to him.

"Not unless he does anything to endanger any of us…especially you." he said, kissing her tenderly, "Stay put. Ellie is going to bring him to the bomb so he can disable it."

"Can I go with her?" she asked, her large, brown doe eyes pleading him. He shook his head.

"No, I'd rather you stay here." he told her, causing her to pout. "Please, Shiloh." he asked.

Shiloh's eyebrows raised; Richard never said "please" unless he was really desperate. She shrugged, muttering okay before giving him a hug and walking towards their tent. If he thought it was a bad idea for her to go with him, then she'd obey him. He always did what was best for her. She watched from her tent as Ellie brought the leader out to Richard as he untied him.

She knew she shouldn't snoop on his conversation, but she didn't really care. Richard probably knew she was listening in anyway. All of a sudden, she heard fast footsteps running towards their camp.

"Richard! Richard!" called a voice. Shiloh ran out of her tent to find Widmore running towards them, his head a little bloody and clothes dirty. She frowned, what the hell happened to him?

"What the hell happened?" Richard asked, thinking the same as Shiloh. Widmore shook his head, his blue eyes widening.

"Cunningham and I—a group of them surprised us. We were outnumbered, but I escaped." he explained.

"Outnumbered eh?" Ellie asked, skeptically and a hint of amusement. Shiloh started to laugh; Ellie always taunted Widmore.

"Shut up Ellie." he replied, sneering at her sister. He looked to the man, his eyebrows frowning, "Who's this?" he asked, looking towards Richard for an explanation.

"He's gonna help us take care of our problem." he explained, then looked over to Ellie, "You'd better get going."

Widmore frowned, "Wait, he's one of them! You can't actually trust him."

Richard barely looked at him, "Yeah, you heard me. Ellie, go." Ellie nodded, marching off with the man at gunpoint. Shiloh frowned, longing to join her sister.

Richard watched Ellie go off, before looking back towards Widmore, "How'd you escape?"

"I ran."

"And it never occurred to you that they might follow you?" he asked skeptically.

Widmore laughed slightly, "Follow me? Their leader is some sodding old man. What, you think he can track me? You think he knows this island better then I do?"

Shiloh rolled her eyes, "Wouldn't doubt it."

Widmore looked at her, sneering, "Oh please, Shiloh. You don't know shit. You're completely useless—"

"Hey." Richard interrupted, grabbing Widmore by the collar, "That's enough bickering for a day. Leave it." he said, glaring at Widmore questioningly. Shiloh rolled her eyes at Richard. He never liked people teasing her, no matter how much she told him that it didn't bother her and that it was harmless fun.

"Whatever." Widmore replied, giving Shiloh a quick glance before stalking off towards his tent. Shiloh looked at Richard, biting her cheek and raising one eyebrow.

He gulped, "What…"

"Oh, you know what." she said, her voice starting to grow menacingly, "I told you not to do that."

Richard looked up innocently, causing Shiloh to scowl, "I have no idea what you're talki—"

"Oh, you know what I'm taking about. Stop sticking up for me whenever someone teases me or whatever. I can fight my own battles." she told him.

Richard frowned, his eyes darkening, "He started to call you useless."

"Which I know is not true. I mean, perhaps I would be more useful if you let me help out instead of keeping me safe in the dark. Maybe you should include me in stuff more often." she told him.

Richard sighed, "Fine" he said, rather reluctantly. She smiled, before jumping into his arms and kissing him. He kissed her back, bringing her close before smirking.

"And trust me, Shi." he started, his dark eyes burning with desire, "you definitely aren't useless." She smacked him playfully, causing him to chuckle.

They started to kiss again before they heard an unfamiliar voice call out Richard's name. She frowned, looking up at him.

"You sure are the popular one today." she said. He chuckled once again, before putting her down and walking out to see who was calling him this time. She pouted, walking slowly behind him and peeping out the tent to see who it was.

It was an older man, bald with green eyes and a scar on the left one. His hands were up, with Widmore's gun pointing straight at him. Shiloh rolled her eyes, so this is the "sodding old man" that he was talking about. Looks like he was able to track him after all, she added as an afterthought, laughing. Oh, the beautiful irony.

"That's enough." Richard said, advancing towards the man, "Who are you?"

The man sighed, looking around, "My name is John Locke."

Richard looked at him expectantly, "Is that supposed to mean anything to me?"

"Jacob sent me." John Locke told him.

Shiloh's eyes widened. As far as she knew, nobody except for the leader of the Others, currently Richard, could talk to Jacob. She knew. She tried to convince Richard to let her talk to him, but he has continually refused. Apparently she wasn't ready, she scoffed at the idea. Wasn't ready, humph.

Richard looked over Locke's shoulder, straight at Widmore, "Put the gun down."

Widmore looked at him, anger blazing in his eyes, "What? Richard, you can't seriously trust him."

Shiloh watched as Richard advanced towards him, slapping the rifle down and away from the man. Shiloh gulped, almost pitying Widmore. He was not on Richard's good side today, not at all. "I said…put the gun down, Widmore."

The man's eyes suddenly widened, and he looked over at Widmore in interest, "Your name is Widmore? Charles Widmore?"

Widmore looked at him distrustfully, "What's it to you?"

Locke shook his head, waving it aside, "Nothing. Nice to meet you."

That was the first time Shiloh ever saw John Locke.

________________________________________________________________________

_Los Angeles, California. Present Time. 5:30PM_

Shiloh stared at the body in the coffin, her eyes glazing slightly. It is weird, how she remembered him exactly the way he was 50 or so years ago, and he is exactly the same. She laughed; he could say the same to her and Richard. None of them changed. She would sometimes look at herself in the mirror, expecting to see a change. Any change. A wrinkle. Crows feet. But none came. She figured she was lucky, that she would be beautiful and young forever. Forever with Richard.

She smiled at the thought, realizing it was worth it.

Suddenly she heard the door open behind her, and she looked back to see a tall, bearded man walk in and stumble towards Locke's casket. She wondered if he was lost, and was going to ask him to leave before she saw the deep sadness and regret in the man's deep brown eyes. He knew him.

"Excuse me?" she asked, walking towards him. The man looked up, and she could tell that he was stoned or something because he couldn't look straight at her. "Could you tell me how you knew Jeremy Bentham?" she asked politely.

The man smiled, chuckling, "Jeremy Bentham." he shook his head, "Well, I didn't know him as Jeremy Bentham, but I knew him."

She looked the man over, then feeling she could trust him, "Did you know him as…John Locke?" she questioned. The man looked over to her, shock etched on his face.

"How do you—"

"It's okay Jack, we're with friends." came a voice. Shiloh looked over to see Benjamin Linus walk over towards the casket, glancing at John's body because looking back at the man he called Jack, "Why don't you close that up now, Jack? Come on. Let's get him in the van. It's out back."

Shiloh's eyes widened, "Excuse me?" she said, causing Ben to revert his attention to her, "What do you think you are doing with John Locke?"

Ben sighed, "Listen, Shiloh, we don't have much time. Do you think this is what is best for him? We need to get him back to the island, Shiloh. Him and the rest of the Oceanic Six. You know this, I know you do."

Shiloh gulped, looking down, "Where are you going to put his body?"

Ben rolled his eyes, "We'll worry about that once we pick up Hugo."

"Hurley is locked up in a mental institution." Jack interrupted.

"Which should make recruiting him much easier then the rest of your friends." Ben told him.

"They're not my friends anymore." Jack told him. Ben rolled his eyes.

"Oh that's the spirit." he commented. Shiloh laughed.

"How did we get here? How did this all happen?" Jack asked. Ben sighed, looking up at him with those large blue eyes.

"It happened because you left the island, Jack." he stated, "Now, lets get started, shall we?"


	4. At the Butchers Shop

**HeYYY!**

**So I know I haven't updated in a long long long time and I can totally explain it very reasonably. The Lost Season is over. Now, when I was watching Lost while it was still on, I started writing this because new things were showing up all the time and I wanted to include them into my story because it was so exciting. Now that the season is over, the excitement has been lost a little bit and Im not as excited to be writing this. Truely, I actually want to start writing another story for a different series, but hey, I'll wait. **

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And I am not alone on this. I have noticed that a lot of the Lost stories that were written were started during the new season, and those authors havent updated in a long long time. This is probably and most likely the same reason I haven't written, due to the fact that the season is over.

Now, I dont plan on quitting this story. I DO plan to finish it sometime or whatever. But I probably will have very little updates this summer until the new season begins. Im pretty damn sure that once the next season begins, the updates will be much much faster and quicker! Oh, and sorry that this chapter is sooooo short. I wanted to update a new chapter soon and I got anxious. So, whatever.

Enjoy and please review! Sorry once again for the long update

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**Chapter Four.**

_Los Angeles, California. Present Time._

She sighed, laying lazily on the small bed as she changed the stations to find something relatively interesting. She finally ended on the News channel.

"Rain Tuesday." she said is a bored tone. Ben chuckled, looking towards the bathroom where Jack was busy shaving off his beard. He continued packing up clothes, looking up at her expectantly to do the same thing.

"Already done." she told him. Shiloh looked towards the bathroom frowning, "You almost done shaving off your beard, Papa Smurf?" she asked. Jack looked out from the bathroom, drying his face with a towel, and glared at her. He then looked over to Ben expectantly.

"So, once we get Hurley…then what?" he asked. Ben shrugged, putting another shirt in his suitcase before zipping it up.

"Then we get Sun, Sayid…and Kate , of course." he added. Shiloh frowned, quickly catching Jack's expression at the mention of Kate.

"I don't see that happening." he replied.

Shiloh rolled her eyes. Today's young people and their broken romances, she thought.

"When was the last time you saw him? I mean, Locke." Jack started, he looked towards Shiloh who shrugged, "I saw him a couple weeks ago…he seemed fine to me."

Jack frowned, then looked towards Ben, his large brown eyes demanding some answers from the other man. Ben sighed.

"On the Island…in the Orchid station, below the greenhouse. I told him I was sorry for making his life so miserable," Shiloh snorted in agreement; Ben glared, "and then he left. So obviously John's visit to you made an impression. What did he say to make you such a believer?"

Jack looked down, as if contemplating his sanity, "He told me…Sawyer, Juliet…everyone from the boat, and everyone we left behind…John said they'd die too, if I didn't come back."

Ben looked at him, "Did he tell you what happened to them after the island moved?"

Jack shook his head, "No, no he didn't."

"Then I guess we'll never know." he stated.

________________________________________________________________________

"So when are we going to leave this place, I'm getting kind of hungry." Shiloh stated, watching the news channel upside down, her hair falling in a dark mass of tendrils across the bed. Ben, who was sitting next to her, right side up, shrugged.

"Soon enough, your stomach will just have to suffer longer." Ben said absentmindedly. She scowled, looking back at the news program.

"_The victim was found shot in his car on the grounds of the Santa Rosa hospital, a private mental health care facility outside Los Angeles."_ the news anchor said.

Shiloh frowned, isn't that where Hurley was? She looked towards Ben as they exchanged a look. Jack walked slowly out of the bathroom in a new suit, and Shiloh whistled sarcastically. Ben chuckled.

Jack rolled his eyes at her, then looked at Ben, "Okay, let's go get him."

Shiloh hushed him and put a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. She motioned towards the television, "_Police have now identified their suspect in the shooting as a patient at the hospital who escaped earlier this evening--Hugo Reyes."_ the anchor stated, then showed pictures from the Oceanic Six press conference, "_Now if that name sounds familiar to you, that's because Reyes was a member of the infamous Oceanic Six. As to why he may have murdered a visitor to the facility where Reyes lived for two years, that remains a complete mystery."_

Ben sighed, grabbing the clicker and turned off the television. He looked at the other two and shrugged, "Well…looks like we have a change of plans."

Shiloh looked at him wide eyed, resembling her former young self "What do we do now?"

"We're checking out." he said, taking his and Shiloh's packed suitcases. Shiloh nodded, and went into the closet and grabbed her jacket, pulling it on.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked.

"You are going home, Jack. Pack yourself a suitcase. If there is anything if this life you still want to hold on to, pack it in there…because you're never coming back." Ben stated.

"Good." Jack sighed, "Where are you guys going in the meantime?"

"John's casket is outside a carpet van. We need to move it somewhere safe." Ben told him. Shiloh nodded at Jack, and followed Ben out the door.

"Safe? He's dead isn't he?" Jack called out the hall as Ben and Shiloh were getting into an elevator.

"We'll see you in six hours Jack." Ben replied, as the elevator door shut.

Shiloh sighed, leaning against the elevator wall, "Do you have to be so cryptic?" she asked.

Ben smirked, "You think you'd be used to cryptic messages after living with Richard for so long." he replied. Shiloh shrugged, smirking.

"Richard knows how much I hate confusing cryptic messages, so he doesn't do it to me anymore. Used to drive me insane…" she replied, as the elevator door opened revealing the lower level of the hotel. They strolled out of the hotel and walked towards Ben's van.

"So where are we going now?" she said casually, leaning back against the passenger seat and looking at Ben, "Where are we bringing John's body?"

"To Jill. At the butchers shop downtown." Ben replied. Shiloh frowned.

"Why Jill?" she asked. Ben rolled his eyes.

"Because she's one of the only people off the island that we can actually trust with something this important." he replied coldly. After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at the shop, and Shiloh silently cringed at its shabby appearance. They walked in the shop, and Ben strolled to the counter, taking the number 342. As the woman whom Jill was tended left, Ben cleared his throat, catching Jill's attention.

"Hello, Ben!" she replied cheerfully, "If it's the Porterhouse you're looking for, we're out." she told him, then looked behind him at the figure of Shiloh standing close to the door, as if trying to get out. Jill's mood darkened, "Oh, hello Shiloh."

Shiloh said nothing but gave her a polite smile, turning to walk around the shop in boredom. Ben chuckled, then looked back at Jill.

"No, no Porterhouse today. I do, however, have something that is very important in my van, Jill, and I need you to watch it for me." he told her, his large blue eyes trying to make her understand. Jill's eyes widened slightly.

"Is it what I think it is?" she asked, peering behind Ben's shoulder to take a better look at the large van parked right outside the shop.

"It is." Ben replied. Jill nodded, "He'll be safe with me."

"Have Gabriel and Jeff checked in yet?" Shiloh spoke up, walking towards Jill, her heels accentuating every step closer to her. Jill narrowed her eyes, then looked back at Ben.

"Yes." she told Shiloh, "Everything is moving right on schedule. How is it going with Shepherd?"

"He is with us." Ben told her, gesturing to himself and Shiloh. Shiloh rolled her eyes, finally getting tired of the procrastinating small talk that she knew was about to take place.

"Listen, just keep him safe. Because if you don't everything that we are about to do won't matter anymore." she told her, "Plus, if anything happens to him, you'll have to deal with me." and with that she strolled out of the shop, leaving Ben behind to catch up with her, his breath shortening as he tried to make pace with the fast moving lady.

"You make such a good impression wherever you go, did you know that?" Ben told her sarcastically, "What is it with you and Jill anyways?"

Shiloh rolled her eyes, "It's not her personally. I don't really like any of these people that you have off the island." she replied casually.

"Why?" Ben asked, before got the quick reply, "Just because."

Ben sniggered, "Oh well. Everybody can't get along with everybody, I suppose." he said, before he looked down to see that his cell phone was ringing. He signaled Shiloh to stop walking so he could take the call.

"Hello?" he asked, knowing fully well that it was Jack on the other end of the phone.

"Ben…you'll never guess who just showed up at my door." Jack said.

"Who?"…"Sayid."

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**And THAT is the end of Chapter four. Very very boring. No Richard in it at all. But hey, I wanted to update, so....there you go.**

**-Runs Like a Girl**


	5. Run in with Dharmas

**Hey Everybody!**

**SO I've finally posted chapter 5 of Trusting Futures! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Lots of Richard and Shiloh! 3**

**Remember to review!**

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**Run in with the Dharma**

_Los Angeles, California. Present Time. _

Shiloh was patiently waiting for Jack and Ben to arrive at their hotel, absentmindedly checking through her emails on her laptop to see if Richard had sent her any new emails. Disappointed to find there were none, she sighed, signing off on yahoo and turning off the laptop. She wasn't sure what they were doing. She knew that Ben dropped her off at the hotel before he met with Hurley, but he should've been back by now, and Jack was only god knows where. Probably hitting some bars so he can get pissed for the night, she thought coldly, reflecting back on Jack's old drinking problems. Ben swears that he has gotten over it. She, however, was less convinced. Then she remembered about Sayid, and figured he was probably still with him.

She sighed, grabbing her cell phone and dialing the numbers to Ben's cell. It rang a little bit, before he picked up. "Hello?" came his voice, "Shiloh, what do you want?"

Shiloh rolled her eyes, "What I want is to know what the hell is going on?" she asked, "Where is Jack and Hurley? Sayid too, as a matter of fact."

"Everybody is here, Shiloh. As a matter of fact, meet us up at the Long Beach Marina, slip 23." he told her, "And Shiloh? Hurry it up." he finished, then hung up.

Shiloh scowled at the phone, before flipping it off and grabbing her purse. She closed the door to their room, locked it, and ran outside the hotel. She then growled in frustration, realizing that she would have to hail a cab. At that moment, a bright yellow taxi rounded the corner, and Shiloh whistled, waving her hands madly in the air.

"Taxi!" she called, jumping up and down, her wavy dark hair bouncing along with her. The taxi slowly made its way towards her, and the driver rolled down the window, revealing a clean cut young man.

"Where to miss?" he asked her.

"Long Beach Marina, slip 23." she told him, as he nodded, and she opened the cab door and took a seat in the back. She sighed, running her hand through her dark mass of hair and lied back against the seat in exhaustion. She was finally going to meet all the Oceanic 815 plane survivors at once, and she was a bit nervous. From what Shiloh remembered, she didn't have a good memory of the other survivors…

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_Island, 1974_

To be fair, Shiloh probably shouldn't have been wondering out on her own, but she couldn't help it. She was bored. Lately, Richard has been so busy that he hardly had enough time to spend with her, and she was getting anxious. Even thirty years after she first arrived at the island she still behaved like a crazy, anxiety ridden hormonal teenage girl. I guess never changing from the eighteen year old girl I was made me rooted to teenage anxiety, she thought.

So when she went out frolicking in the jungle and collecting random roots and plants that they could use for medicine, she should have remembered about the line. The line that separated her group, obnoxiously named the Hostiles, and their foes, the Dharma Initiative. So she really couldn't blame them for taking her prisoner; she stepped out of boundaries…albeit by accident, but she didn't think they really cared if it was a mistake.

Shiloh gasped as they threw her in a random room, a dark room with one lone window giving her light. The man who threw her in sneered at her, glaring at her small, bruised body. The other man. with long hair and glasses, shook his head.

"C'mon, Phil," he called the other man, "Let's go check what LaFleur and his people are up to." They then left her, alone and sore in the dark room. She gave a quick sob, shaking with fear.

All of a sudden, a loud, beeping sound erupted her eardrums; an alarm. She looked out the window, watching as the people ran frantically to their houses, taking cover from the threat. She then smiles, seeing a tall dark man strolling towards the compound with a burning torch, fire in his dark eyes burning angrier then the torch.

"Richard." she whispered quietly. Then, alerted, she started banging on the walls around her, hoping that he would be able to hear her and rescue her. She started screaming his name, banging harder on the walls, desperately trying to gain his attention.

She looked outside, seeing him stare at the man with the glasses with utter hatred. They exchanged words, in which the man in the glasses looked absolutely terrified, as he walked back into the house. Richard did not look happy at all. I bet he's pissed that they took me, she thought.

All of a sudden a different man came out of the house. He had long blonde hair and carried a very rugged appearance. She frowned. He wasn't at all like the rest of the Dharma members. Where was his uniform?

She watched them with curiosity until she heard the door upon behind her. The man with the glasses walked in, with an expression of regret and, if she sensed right, a bit of fear.

"There has been a mistake." he said, and he walked to her to take off the tight binding that they used on her hands, "You are free to go."

Shiloh glared at the man, before walking outside with a hint of superiority to greet Richard. She smiled, running up to him and grasping him in the tightest hug she had ever given him. He, however, did not look as pleased to see her.

"Shiloh," Richard started, staring down at her small form. She instantly shrank back, knowing that he was about to lecture her about crossing the line again. This was probably the third time he's done it.

"I'm sorry," she uttered quickly, before he could get a chance to reprimand her, "I forgot. I'll never cross the line ever again."

"You said that last time," Richard told her, still displeased but relieved that she was all right. He tightened his hold on her, "You're just lucky that they screwed up more then you did."

She frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Two of our men are dead." he replied, "A man named LaFleur killed them."

She gasped, "Who?"

Richard held her tightly, "Greg and Tom." For some reason that didn't shock her or depress her like she thought it would. She frantically shook her head; Charles would not be happy with this one bit.

She looked up at him, "So is the truce broken?" she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of fear as it cracked, "Does this mean what I think it means?"

He shook his head, "No. There's been a….development, so to speak, though. I can't rightfully claim that they've broken the truce."

She frowned, "A development? What do you mean, a development? They've killed two of our men, they've clearly broken the truce—"

"I'll explain it on the way back," he interrupted her, "We just have to wait for them to bring out the body."

"The body?"

"To satisfy the rest of our people. One of our men managed to shoot a Dharma member before being killed. We'll take his body back to our camp for justice." he told her. The man with the long blonde hair came out with the body over his shoulder, closely followed by the man with the glasses. They both looked unsurprisingly upset as they handed over the body of the Dharma member to Richard, who easily flung him over his shoulder carelessly.

"We'll be going now," Richard said, giving one last daring look at the Dharma members before leaving the barracks back to their camp. Shiloh followed him curiously.

"So what was this development again?" she asked. He looked down at her, his face etched with seriousness and, if she knew her husband well enough, what looked like frustration.

"That man with the long blonde hair," he started, and she looked back to the man he was talking about, "His name is James LaFleur."

She frowned, "So he was the one who killed Greg and Tom?" she asked. He nodded, causing her frown to deepen, "Why is he allowed to get away with this? He should be—"

"He's not a part of the Dharma Initiative," Richard interrupted her.

"What do you mean he's not a part of the Dharma Initiative?" Shiloh asked him, causing him to sigh. "Where is he from then?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that he was from the future?" he asked her. She remained silent for a moment, and he thought he had closed the matter. She frowned up at him, however, urging him to continue, "Do you remember that man…thirty years ago? The man named John Locke?"

"The man who you said disappeared right in front of your eyes?" she urged.

Richard nodded, "He was from the future too."

She remained silent, before latching on to his waist and looking up at him, "Promise me that everything will be okay?" she said, albiet rather immaturely, but she needed his reassurance. Charles and Ellie would not be happy when they learned that the murderer of Greg and Tom would still be breathing air. He bent down, kissing her lips softly before whispering, "I promise."

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**I know, really short. But I wanted to post it as a shout out in excitement to the Lost episode airing TONIGHT. LOST RETURNS PEOPLE.**

Lost = Life

**I hope you all enjoyed it.**

**- Runs Like a Girl 3**


	6. The Lamp Post and the Temple

**Hey Readers!**

**I finally posed the sixth chapter for "Trusting Futures"! I hope you like it.**

Oh, btw, how did you guys like the show last night "What Kate Did"? I personally didn't like it all that much.....I feel as if it was just a filler episode. 

**Although, I might be a bit biased because Richard wasn't in the episode....nah. LOL.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Remember to review!  
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**The Lamp Post and the Temple.  
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_Los Angeles, California. Present Time.  
_

Fire. It was her favorite element. So destructible yet full of the energy of life.

Shiloh watched as her sister lit the candles one by one, exposing their magnificence to the world. Her sister Eloise, who had once been so beautiful and full of youth, had aged, her blonde hair had become white and her skin was starting to wrinkle at certain places. And here she was, just the same as she's ever been. Ageless. Eternally beautiful.

The door suddenly opened with a bang, revealing Ben, Jack, Sun, and an unfamiliar man with long brown hair. She frowned, who was that?

Eloise sighed, staring at Ben in distaste, "I thought I said all of them."

"This is all we could get on short notice," Shiloh explained, "Some of the others were very adamant about having nothing to do with us."

"I guess it will have to do for now," Eloise replied, her voice soft with age, no longer sounding like her young spirit from long ago. She glanced at Jack, before announcing to the group, "All right, let's get started."

As they all followed her through the church, Shiloh stayed behind to talk to Ben. He looked at her expectantly, and she frowned, nodding towards the man with the brown hair, "Who is that?" she asked.

"His name is Desmond Hume," he told her, "He was on the island for a while after you left. He's…a friend of Charles Widmore."

Her eyebrows raised exponentially, "Friend of Widmore?" she asked, "Does Ellie know about this?"

"Apparently so, or she would have said something," said Ben, "Come on, we're lagging behind."

They entered a dark room with a sign saying the words, "CAUTION: HIGH VOLTAGE. DO NOT ENTER THIS ENCLOSURE." Shiloh laughed quietly; of course they'd be somewhere where they're not supposed to be. "AThey made their way down the spiral staircase, each brooding with different expectations and anticipation. They reach a metal door at the end of the hallway, proudly displaying a DHARMA logo.

They had entered the Lamp Post.

"What is this place?" asked Jack, looking around the room in awe. The pendulum in the center of the room was swaying back and forth, making a large whooshing sound.

"The Dharma Initiative called it the Lamp Post," Eloise explained, "This is how they found the island."

Jack frowned, looking at Ben in distrust, "Did you know about this place?"

Ben shook his head, "No. No, I didn't."

Jack continued to frown, before looking over at Shiloh, "Is he telling the truth?"

Shiloh shrugged, "I doubt it."

Eloise chuckled, "All right, I apologize if this is confusing, but," she frowned, looking at Jack who was looking at the picture of the island on the wall, "let's pay attention, yes?," he snapped out of it, looking at her, "The room we're standing in was constructed years ago over a unique pocket of electromagnetic energy. That energy connects to similar pockets all over the world. The people who built this room, however, were only interested in one."

"The Island." said Sun. Shiloh nodded.

"Precisely," she replied, "The Dharma Initiative gathered proof that it existed. They knew it was out there somewhere, but they just couldn't find it. Then a very clever fellow built this pendulum on the theoretical notion that they should stop looking for where the island was supposed to be. Rather, start looking for where it was going to be."

Jack frowned, "What do you mean 'where it was going to be'?"

Eloise smiled, taking it on from there, "Well you see, this fellow presumed, and quite accurately, as it turned out, that the Island is always moving. Why do you think you were never rescued? Now while the movements of the Island seem random, this man and his team created a series of equations which tell us, with a high degree of probability, where it is going to be at a certain point... in time. Windows, as it were, that while open, provide a route back. Unfortunately, these windows don't stay open for very long. Yours closes... in 36 hours," she finished, hanging a binder to Jack.

The man named Desmond went wild all of a sudden, questioning why they would want to go back at all. Shiloh sighed, leaning against the wall for a second and clearing her head. She wish this would just be over with quickly so she could just go home…back to the Island. Where she belonged.

* * *

_  
The Island, 1977.  
_

"This is serious Richard. You could die," she said, looking into the intense eyes of her husband. Shiloh Alpert looked up at him with warning, and he just smirked. Oh, wasn't he a dangerous boy, she thought, giggling.

"I can take you," he replied. They stared into each others eyes a moment longer, until…

SLAP!

Shiloh laughed, "I got you, Richard!"

Richard laughed as well, "You always win at Red Hands," he said, his eyes glimmering, "it's because you always cheat."

Shiloh gasped, pretending to be astounded, "Me?! Cheat?! Richard, how dare you!"

They laughed, continuing to play the game, ignoring all the other people around them. Truth be told, Richard and Shiloh Alpert weren't all that close to any of the other people in their camp besides Charles and Ellie, but that was only because she was her sister.

All of a sudden they heard voices; ones that were not from their own camp. Richard frowned, getting up and gesturing for some other men to follow him. She grabbed her gun, loading it, and followed the rest of the men towards the stream, where the sounds were coming from.

They saw a man with a Dharma Jumpsuit and a woman with long brown hair. She frowned, recognizing the man as James LaFluer, the man from the future who killed Greg and Tom. Richard walked forward, not openly hostile but not friendly.

"Hello there, James," he started, before looking at the little boy in his hands, "Is that Benjamin Linus?"

Sawyer cocked his head, narrowing his eyes, "You two know each other?"

Richard ignored him, "What happened to him?"

"He was shot," spoke up the woman with brown hair. Richard looked at her curiously."And who might you be?" he asked. Sawyer glared.

"She's with me."

Richard rolled his eyes, "And why are you here?"

"'Cause we need you to save his life," said the woman, "Can you?"

He looked back at his wife, who was feverishly shaking her head. Though Shiloh would usually always help a child in need, she didn't think Richard should do the thing he was planning to do. He sighed, looking back at the two Dharma people.

"If I take him, he's not ever going to be the same again," Richard told them, "He'll forget what has happened to him and…his innocence will be gone. He will always be one of us," he said, somewhat cryptically. Shiloh rolled her eyes, Richard was a master at being ambiguous. "You still want me to take him?" he asked.

"Yes," the woman said, letting Richard grab the boy out of Sawyers arms. Shiloh frowned, walking towards him and putting a hand on his arm.

"Richard," she said, "Don't do this."

"Yeah," spoke up a man, whom she believed was named Derrick, "You shouldn't do this without asking Ellie. And if Charles found out—"

"Let him find out," Richard snapped, continuing to walk away, "I don't answer to either of them."

Shiloh sighed, following him into the jungle. She kept pace with him, frowning up at him.

"Richard…," she started. He shook his head.

"Shiloh, this is for the island," he told her, looking down at the boy, "Jacob wants him alive."

She remained silent, following him through the stone structure that was the temple and into the dark caves. They reached the spring, looking down at the crystal clear water. She looked back up at her husband.

"Do you want me to help you?" she asked. He nodded, unbuttoning his shirt so it wouldn't get wet and flinging it on the floor. Shiloh did the same, taking off her blouse, staying in nothing but her bra and a pair of shorts.

"Help me hold him down," he told her. They walked into the spring, placing the boy's body head first into the water. All of a sudden the boy began to convulse, and they held him down firmly underwater for several minutes. The boy started to stop, his body going limp.

"It's time," Richard said, looking at his wife, "let's bring him up."

* * *

**There you go!**

It isn't the greatest grammatically wise, but I kind of just wanted to get it out already. The next chapter should be out soon, btw. I'm almost done with it now.

**I hope you liked it!  
****  
Much love and thanks,**

** Runs Like a Girl.**


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